Dishwasher attachment for garbage disposal unit



Nov. 12, 1968 a. WALKER, JR 3,410,494

DISHWASHER ATTACHMENT FOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL UNIT Filed Oct. 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. BROOKS WALKER JR BROOKS WALKER SR.

Nov. 12, 1968 B. WALKER, JR 3,410,494

DISHWASHER ATTACHMENT FOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL UNIT Filed Oct. 23, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. BROOKS WALKER JR.

3) moo/rs WALKER 5m United States Patent 3,410,494 DISHWASHER ATTACHMENT FOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL UNIT Brooks Walker, Jr., 1280 Columbus Ave.,

San Francisco, Calif. 94133 Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 502,951 3 Claims. (Cl. 24146) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A power takeoff device driven by the nut which secures the rotor to the motor of a garbage disposal unit mounted under a sink. A centering device is slidably mounted in the conduit connecting the unit and sink and rotatably supports a shaft. One end of the shaft is provided with a socket congruent with the shape of the nut. The socket is provided with a flared opening to aid in the engagement of socket and nut during assembly since the parts are unseen. In one form of the invention a universal joint connects the socket to the shaft in order to provide for misalignment between the rotating centers of shaft and nut. The other end is shaped to drive a selected auxiliary device and is provided with a takeoff in the form of a flexible shaft.

This invention pertains to a device to use the power source for a garbage disposal to power an attachment to the sink and disposal to be used to power many kinds of kitchen accessories, such as juicers, beaters, mixers, sharpeners, etc., or to scour pots, pans, wash dishes, etc.

Another object is to provide a device that can be readily inserted and secured in the outlet of the sink to center and and suitably support and guide (for guided rotation) a shaft that will pick up the rotational power from the rotor of the disposal with an easily centered and driven attachment that will not interfere with the action of the disposal when the attachment has been removed from the sink outlet.

Another feature is the use of a vertical drive for a scouring brush below the upper edge of the sink so that throw off from the brush will hit the walls of the sink rather than be thrown above said walls.

Another feature is the flexible drive to a brush or oscillator to be used in scouring pots and pans, grills, and washing dishes, etc., for powering a silver polisher, mixer, or other kitchen accessory.

Another feature is the use of a driven oscillator with scouring material such as steel wool, steel wool and soap, brushes, or other suitable scouring materials that oscillate by power from the disposal motor through the adapter of this invention and through the flexible drive. The oscillator will scour but now throw debris the way a rotating brush or scourer might.

Another feature is the use of the disposal motor to power a shoe buffer, silver polisher, knife sharpener, juicer, beater, etc.

Other features of this invention will be more particularly pointed out in the accompanying specification and claims.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section, of one form of the invention partly cut away and partly in section.

FIG. 2 is a plan view, partly cut away, of the attachment of FIG. 1 as inserted in the outlet of the sink.

FIG. 3 is a view of an alternate oscillator scourer driven by the flexible shaft of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view, partly in section, of an alternate adapter insert for the sink outlet for driving different types of kitchen accessories, such as a juicer, from the 3,410,494 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 disposal motor and forming another form of the invention.

In all figures like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 I have shown a sink 10 having an outlet 11. A garbage disposal unit 12 is secured to sink outlet 11 by bolts 9. The garbage and waste water passes out through outlet pipe 13 in the usual manner. The rotor 14 for the disposal carries one or more drivers or hammers 15, such as are shown in US. Patent No. 2,853,243, issued Sept. 23, 1958, to L. B. Smith.

The motor (not shown) drives plate 14 by shaft 16. Plate 14 is secured to shaft 16 by nut 17 which tends to tighten if rotation is restricted while shaft 16 is being driven. A suitable key or spline may be used to drive plate 14. Adapter 18 has a coned end 18a and is adapted to mesh with the hexagon of nut '17 to drive shaft 19. A joint 20 of limited motion may be used to make up for any misalignment of the shaft 21 that is supported in bearing 25 of adapter 26 to outlet 11 of the sink 10. Bevel gear 22 is secured to shaft 21 and is housed in housing 27. Housing 27 also supports bevel gear 28 which drives flexible shaft 31 in flexible housing 30.

A scouring brush 35 has bristles 36 or other suitable scouring material and is driven by the square end 23 of shaft 21. The top of the bristles 36 is preferably below the top of the sink 10 so that throw off from the brush 36 will hit the sides of the sink 10 rather than be thrown off tangentially above the above the top edge of the sink.

Flexible shaft 30 drives brush or scourer 40 which may be a brush of metal wool or other suitable scouring faces. Slidable sleeve 42 on housing 43 takes care of engaging and disengaging shaft 41, as by a ball in a groove in 41 (not shown) when engaged and the ball moves back when sleeve 42 is moved to release shaft 41 and scourer 40.

In FIG. 3 oscillator is driven by shaft 51 which is engaged or disengaged by slidable sleeve 42 on housing 43, as in FIG. 1, to drive scouring pad 52. Oscillator 50 changes rotational motion of shaft 41 to oscillating motion of oscillating face 51 in any suitable manner. Oscillating face 51 is provided with suitably attached bristles or suitable scouring surface 52.

The advantage of an oscillator as against a rotating brush or scourer is that dirt and water will not be thrown around when it is not inside a pan to the same degree as a rotating scourer.

In FIG. 4 I show a modified adapter 8 inserted in a sink outlet 11 which rotatably supports shaft driven by adapter 18 as in FIG. 1. A recess 8a in the top of adapter 8 can receive and center various devices, such as the juicer shown, or knife Sharpeners, heaters, etc., as used in a similarly flush counter top power receiving device. In general, spillage is easily washed away in the sink. The juicer shown has a juice head 66, a screen 67, which preferably oscillates it by a device not shown and is adapted to deliver juice to a container resting in sink 10.

I have illustrated my inventions in these various forms; however, many other variations may be possible within the scope of this invention.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and .scope of the invention. The disclosures and description running from an aperture in the bottom of said sink to the area of said rotor, the rotor of said motor rotating about a vertical axis substantially in line with the center line of said throat and said aperture in said sink, a centering device slidably fitted in said aperture and having a plurality of passages therethrough, a shaft rotatably mounted in said device having one end extending into the sink and a socket congruent with the shape of the nut and having a flared opening secured to the other end of the shaft and disposed over the nut, and socket being secured to the shaft by a pivoted joint.

2. In combination, a kitchen sink, a garbage disposal unit mounted under said sink, a rotor in said garbage disposal, an electric motor for operating said disposal rotor, a nut securing the rotor to the motor, a throat running from an aperture in the bottom of said sink to the area of said rotor, the rotor of said motor rotating about a vertical axis substantially in line with the center line of said throat and said aperture in said sink, a centering device slidably fitted in said aperture and having a plurality of passages therethrough, a shaft rotatably mounted in said device having one end extending into the sink and a socket congruent with the shape of the nut and having a fiared opening secured to the other end of the shaft and disposed over the nut, and a housing secured to the centering device within the sink, a gear train within the housing and drivingly connected to the shaft, and a flexible shaft connected to the gear train to be driven thereby.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including a non-circular end on the shaft and a pivoted joint securing the socket to the shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,340,368 5/1920 Blunt 64-8 2,157,662 5/1939 Fritz 64-4 2,579,393 12/1951 Modrey -241101 X 2,675,968 4/1954 Dunbar 241-101 2,869,794 1/1959 Modrey 241-101 3,033,474 5/1962 OToole 241-101 3,159,355 12/1964 Delameter 241-101 3,281,878 11/1966 Meza Roiz 15-22 3,288,381 11/1966 Bell 241-101 JAMES M. MEISTER, Primary Examiner. 

